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Carsales Staff30 May 2014
NEWS

SPY PICS: Next Fabia almost naked

Skoda's all-new Fabia appears almost completely unclothed four months ahead of debut

Last week we brought you the first images of Skoda's next-generation Fabia and now Automedia has snapped the Czech brand's redesigned supermini almost completely undisguised.

The third-generation Fabia is due to make its world debut at the Paris motor show on October 2, before its European launch later that month and an Australian release in the second half of next year, and will be the first all-new Fabia in 15 years.

A camouflaged prototype was previously spied testing on and around the Nurburgring, but these new spy shots of lightly disguised pre-production models doing the rounds on highways in the Czech Republic show the new Fabia's development process is almost complete.

They also show that while the light-size five-door's distinctive silhouette continues, its angular sheetmetal will echo models like the larger Rapid hatch and Octavia liftback. Design highlights include a clamshell bonnet, prominent shoulder line, Rapid-inspired tail-lights and a broader grille featuring Skoda's new corporate mascot.

As we've reported, the 2015 Fabia will be the first model to ride on a new shortened version of the Volkswagen Golf's MQB platform, dubbed MQB-A, which will also underpin the next VW Polo, SEAT Ibiza and Audi A1.

It will be larger than the current model, which measures four metres long and about 1640mm wide, liberating more cabin and boot space (the existing Fabia can swallow up to 1180 litres).

Both five-door hatchback and wagon versions of the Czech brand’s global light-car will again be sold Down Under, but any potential sedan version has been ruled out for Australia and there will be no Polo GTI-rivalling RS performance versions next time round.

Instead, Skoda will concentrate on top-spec Monte Carlo editions as seen in the current range, base pricing for which was reduced from $18,990 to $15,990 in late March, to position it below the new Rapid Spaceback (from $18,990) and Octavia (from $21,690).

The MkIII Fabia should bring the same new electronic architecture as Volkswagen's facelifted Polo (due here in August), including a colour touch-screen infotainment system, plus the VW's new electric power steering system and higher-quality interior materials.

Expect the next Fabia's engine options to also closely resemble those of the upcoming Polo, which will be fitted in Europe with a 1.4-litre turbo-diesel and 66kW/160Nm and 81kW/175Nm versions of the existing 1.2-litre 77TSI turbo four.

Unlikely to be available in the Fabia, however, are expensive new Polo goodies including LED headlights, radar cruise control and two-stage suspension damping, as well as VW safety technologies like low-speed emergency braking, post-collision automatic braking and drowsy driver alert, and fuel-saving functions like idle-stop and regenerative braking.

It also remains to be seen if the new Fabia comes with a reversing camera and satellite-navigation, which have just appeared in the facelifted Yeti but are not available in the Rapid Spaceback.

 – with Automedia

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Written byCarsales Staff
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